Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 4-13-18

Editorials/Columns
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Some Like It Rough
*CORRECTION* In Tuesday’s column “Who Killed MLK” it was inac- curately stated that James Earl Ray was offi- cially exonerated for the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1998. Ray was actually only acquit- ted after a mock trial in 1993. The evidence from that trial was used by Coretta Scott King in a lawsuit she filed in 1999. A Memphis jury ruled in favor of the King family in the lawsuit stating that state, local and fed- eral governments were ultimately responsible for Dr. King’s death. Even though the King family strongly believed in the evidence pre- sented, and pushed for Ray’s release based on the new information, the court never moved to va- cate Ray’s 99-year sen- tence. He died in Prison in 1998 from hepatitis C.”
ne of the things that al-
ways amazed me is how much society is fasci- nated with the criminal lifestyle. Whether it’s a fic- tional tale along the lines of movie classics like Scar- face, The Godfather or
Heat, or documentaries about real life gangsters in the mold of Frank Lucas, John Gotti or El Chapo Guzman, the average per- son comes off as completely enamored with the stories of individuals who ruthlessly circumvented the law while stacking up insane amounts of cash.
Even though most of these narratives end the same, with the bad guy either going to prison, being bru- tally killed or hidden away in a witness protection pro- gram, for some reason these characters have a way of be- coming epitomized as the textbook definitions of “cool.”
Never mind the fact that Tony Montana had his run end with his head being blown off inside of his own home or that Gotti died in prison, or that El Chapo faces the prospect of living the rest of his life under- ground inside of the Federal ADX in Florence, Colorado, all that the typical street dude remembers, who has dreams of doing it just as big, are the images of the artifi- cial wealth, power and re- spect that seemed so alluring.
Like everyone else who traveled down that road (in-
cluding myself) they believe that they can do it slicker, better and smarter while avoiding capture. But, as is usually the case, when it’s all said and done, they wind up having their heads bopped by the same wooden gavel used to crack thousands of the hard skulls, who came before them, who also believed they were just as untouchable.
It never appears to sink in to anyone that living crooked simply doesn’t work. Eventu- ally, everyone gets jammed. And what sense does it make to follow a well worn path that dead ends at a place where you lose everything you gain during the process, including your freedom?
You would think that, after seeing the numerous examples of those who’ve ul- timately failed in an attempt to beat the system, it would dawn on some of these aspir- ing young criminals that breaking bad is a folly for los- ers. But, every time I pick up the paper or watch the news, it seems that there’s a never ending number of dopes, with “Top-Off” ambitions, who look forward to learning the hard way.
And, unfortunately for them, there exists an entire force of enthusiastic, badge- wearing, instructors who can’t wait until class is in ses- sion.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Black Life Matters Must Also Condemn Black-On-Black Violence
suspect was recently arrested for the murder of an East Tampa auto detailer. The suspect wasn’t white. Neither was he a police officer. A bouncer and a patron were shot outside a local nightspot. Rumors are the ones who shot them were
not members of the Ku Klux Klan.
We could go on and on, but we won’t —- because
we already know the deal.
So, before anybody else says it, let us be among
the first to make it plain: In the United States of America – in hamlets, cities and counties therein, too often, Black people are murdering, and mugging Black people more than any other people in our so- ciety.
No, this is not to say racist cops with a blood-lust for Black folks do not prowl our streets. No, this is not to insinuate that there are not non-Black Amer- icans who consider “Black skin” as a uniform of provocation. But what it frankly reminds us is, the fact that crime statistics tell us we, Black people, in too many of America’s major cities are committing unassisted and willful genocide.
So, what do we do when we realize that from the perspective of “Black-Life-Matters,” we are often our worst enemy? Do we educate our children, preach from our pulpits, patrol our streets . . . what does it take to make us stop murdering and mauling each other?
The answer is two words: “Self-Love.”
People who love themselves, don’t kill them- selves.
A
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PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018